Saying Goodbye
Chapter Four: Saying Goodbye
Rogue decided to walk home instead of taking the bus, because it would take longer and she wanted to prolong the lecture she was going to get from Logan when she got home. He had left another text, but she didn’t want to answer it. She was sure she was going to be grounded, and she wanted to revel in her freedom a little bit longer.
The walk home seemed to be going quicker than she thought, even though she was walking at the slowest pace possible, but the inevitable happened. She was home, and there was Logan waiting for her by the water fountain. The sun was just starting to go down, and he was sitting there with a cigar hanging out of his mouth and a beer in his hand. He didn’t look happy to see her, and she dreaded the confrontation.
As she approached him she only had one thing to say. “Hi, Logan.”
He took a gulp of his beer and swallowed slowly and putting his cigar down in a small metal disposable ashtray that was sitting next to him.
“Where were you today?” he asked and stood on his feet.
“Just around,” she said with her head down. “Ah’m sorry, I jus’ couldn’t deal with trainin’ t’day.”
“It’s not just today, Rogue,” Logan said as she turned away from him. “You haven’t been yourself since…”
“Ah know,” she said shooting around to face him. Her green eyes seem to fade, like she had lost that fire she always had before.
“Then tell me what’s goin’ on?” Logan asked and a soft tone. Rogue turned away again. There was a look of frustration on her face. “Just want to help you.”
“Ah don’t know,” she said, raising up her hands in frustration. “Somethin’s different.”
“Maybe you should talk to the professor,” he said, coming up behind her. “He wants to help you. We all do.”
“Maybe ah will, but not now,” she said, turning to face him. There was a tear in her eye, and with that any anger Logan had towards her faded away.
“Then tomorrow, okay?” Logan asked.
“Okay… tomorrow,” Rogue said and walked off. She still felt very ashamed and dreaded talking to the professor, even though he probably already knew how she was feeling, but she had not heard his voice in her head since her accident. He knew she didn’t like anyone entering her mind without her permission.
She walked up to her room, wondering what she could do to get out of this. She rifled through her top drawer looking for something. It was a brochure, one she received in the mail a few weeks ago. Some vacation getaway that was looking very good right now. There was a number on the back so she picked up her phone and called the number.
“Bargain Air B&B? May I help you?”
“Hi, I would like to know how I can rent one of your cabins,” Rogue said into the phone.
“When would you like to plan your trip?” It was the voice of a pleasant sounding woman.
“As soon as possible,” Rogue said, watching the door to make sure no one was listening.
“Well, we do have a cabin available now. When would you like to rent it?”
“I have a prepaid card, will that work?” Rogue asked, hoping the woman would accept it.
“Sure, do you have the information?”
“Yes,” Rogue said and gave the card number. The operator gave her the address that she wrote down on her quick note pad. “Thank you, ah’ll be there tomorrow.”
“Great,” one of our agents will meet you there about 4pm.”
“Okay, thank you,” Rogue said and hung up the phone.
It was already 8pm, and she did want to meet Gambit in the park as he asked if for nothing else but to say goodbye. She wrote several letters, one to Kitty, one to Logan and a third that was addressed to everyone. She stated how she was sorry that she had to leave, and how she let everybody down. Tears were falling from her eyes when she wrote the letter to Logan. She left two of the letters in her nightstand where the others were sure to find them and the one addressed to Kitty in her nightstand. She hid it under Kitty’s makeup bag, so she wouldn’t find it until the next morning. By then, she would be gone.
She gathered some things into her bag. Some clothes, money and a few trinkets, including the friendship bracelet Kitty had given her last Christmas. She wanted to travel as light as possible, but didn’t know if or when she would ever come back.
She had no problem leaving undetected, having gone out of one of the side exits and going through the small forest of trees that lines the property. There was a small exit that some of the other kids didn’t know about. She used it several times when she wanted to go off by herself.
With her backpack full, she walked down to the park, and even though the sun had gone down she wasn’t afraid. She could handle herself if anything came up, but she was a little saddened knowing she wasn’t coming back.
She made her way over to her usual bench knowing that crazy Cajun would find her. He always did, and she still wondered why he bothered.
She had a good ten minutes before their meeting time, so she took out a book she had in her purse and decided to do some reading before he showed up. She opened it to the chapter she left off on, but she had a hard time concentrating. She barely read a sentence when she heard a voice in her vicinity.
“You showed.”
She looked up to see the face of Gambit smiling down at her. “Why ya always interruptin’ me when ah’m readin’?”
“Why you always readin’?” he asked, answering her question with one of his own.
“’Cause ah like it,” she said as he sat down next to her, having him so close made her nervous, and he just smirked at her answer. “So why ya want me t’meet ya?”
“Jus’ t’talk,” he said, trying to take her hand, but she pulled away.
“Why are you afraid of me?” he asked.
“Ah’m not… just can’t be touched, but ya already know that.”
“I know, but you have gloves on, so there’s no danger,” he said and reached for her hand again. This time she didn’t pull away. “See, no danger at all.”
“Ah don’t see it that way,” she said and tried to slip out of his grasp. “You’re the definition of danger.”
“Takes one t’know one,” he said and lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it. She felt shivers go up and down her body. “De way I see it, we’re two of a kind.”
“Ah doubt that,” she said, looking away after taking back her hand. She folded them over into her chest so he couldn’t pull a fast one on her. “Besides you don’t even know me.”
“I know you,” he said and she still had her face turned away from him. “I know you retreat inside yourself, so you don’t have to t’ink ‘bout your own life. Dat’s why you read so much. You always t’ink you gotta be the strong one, so you never show your feelins.” She looked over at him both annoyed and surprised. “Don’t deny it, Rogue, not wid me. I know. I do de same t’ing sometimes.”
“No, you don’t. You always follow me around like a lost puppy dog, wantin’ attention. Always wantin’ me to…”
“To what?” he asked as she stood up. She turned away from him, not wanting to see the tears in her eyes. “Tell me, Chere.”
“It’s like you’re wantin’ me t’do things you know ah can’t, and ah…” She broke down crying, and he put his arms around her.
“Ya don’t always have to be de strong one,” he said, and it made her so angry she broke out of his embrace.
“Yes, ah do,” she said with fire in her eyes. “If ah don’t, then…”
“Den, what? De team will fall apart? Dat won’t happen, chere, and dere no sense drivin’ yourself crazy t’inkin’ you do.”
“Then what am ah supposed to do?” she asked walking a few steps away.
“Ask for help when you need it,” Gambit said which confused her. “It don’ make you weak, shows more strength to ask for help when you need it.”
“Ya might be right, but ah don’t even know what’s wrong with me,” she said and looked him in the eyes.
“Maybe it’s got somethin’ t’do wid dose dreams you been havin’.”
“Don’t want to talk about that,” she snapped.
“You need to, chere,” he said and came up towards her touching her arms. “Can you tell me, if you can’t tell them.”
“Ah can’t,” she said and looked at her phone. It was 11:45. “I gotta go, curfew.”
“Okay, but remember I’m always round if you wanna talk.”
He noticed she wasn’t walking towards her home but in the opposite direction. He did the only thing he could do and that was to follow her.